Level 1 Lesson 1
Principles of Reiki

Principles of Reiki

The five Reiki principles were created by Dr.Usui himself after his experiences in Kyoto. It was here that he learnt the lessons of not teaching gratitude to those that he treated. The lesson that he learned was that we can only be grateful for the things we place value on and respect for. From that point he began to teach along these guidelines to get his student to take responsibility for themselves and for others. Today, it is said that the five Reiki principles are the foundation of Dr.Usui’s teachings. Below you will find a list of the Five Reiki Principles that Dr.Usui taught. We are also going to take a deeper look into each of these principles one by one. In doing so not only will we see their effect on the practice of Reiki but also the effect they will have in our own daily lives.

The Five Reiki Principles are:
      I.      Just for today, do not anger
     II.     Just for today, do not worry
III.     Honor your parents, teachers and elders
IV.     Earn your living honestly
     V.     Show gratitude to every living thing

Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at each one of the Reiki principles. As we take a closer look at each one, stop and think how each of these principles can be applied to your daily life.

I. Anger, we all have it within our being. The key though is to let go of it. When we let go of anger we are in fact releasing what is blocking us from being able to love unconditionally. By holding onto to anger we are in fact purposefully separating ourselves from the Universal Consciousness/God/Goddess/Higher Power. When our expectations about ourselves and others get the best of us, when we or they fail to live up to these expectations or our needs and desires, then we become angry. The people we are angry at have no realization of our anger most of the time. It hurt us more than it could ever hurt them. We must remember that all beings are brought into our lives for a reason. They are in fact much like a mirror a direct reflection of the cause and effect that we ourselves have created. Every thought we have sets up a cause and effect. It is through these people that we bring into our lives that we can begin to discover the weak points in our egos. Being angry is very destructive of our inner harmony.

It begins to break down our very being creating energy blocks and allows negativity to set in. Be aware of what causes the anger – just what are the expectation and/or demand? Feel the emotion and feel it fully, then release it and let it go.

II. Worry, like anger, is another emotion that we all feel and have to deal with. But what happens when we worry? When you think about it the answer is pretty simple. When we worry we have, temporarily, forgotten that there is a divine purpose in everything. Once we become aware that we have lived each day the best we can, we then know that the rest is up to the Universe/God/Goddess. When we worry we begin to separate ourselves from the Universal wholeness; we are in fact not trusting that all is in divine order. Once we start to worry we start to create limitations. We need to surrender to our higher self, surrender to the higher plan. Once we surrender we will realize all is in divine order and is as it should be. We will realize that there is a lesson to learn. Surrender, Release and Trust.

III. What do our parents, teachers and elders all have in common? The answer, Wisdom. Each and every one of us has had our lives touched by each of these individuals. Our parents raise us and guide us. They show us how to love but yet also show us how to be our own unique person and individual. They love us unconditionally and teach us how to do the same. Teachers help mold our minds, give us the knowledge we need to be successful in life regardless of our chosen path and/or profession. They are our mentors and coach as we transition in life. Our elders, those who have experienced life and lessons we have yet to learn or experience. Our elders are those who are filled with wisdom and pass it down to us. With all that these individuals give us how can we not show them honor. Choose to honor them because of their humanity. For when we honor them and others, we honor ourselves. For we all are connected.

IV. To live life honestly is to be aligned with our true will, our higher self and its purpose. To live a happy and harmonious life we need to be honest with ourselves and face the truth in all matters. Facing the truth brings clarity and when we are honest with ourselves, we project honesty onto others. By being honest in our work we reinforce this truth resulting in love for ourselves and others. Honesty creates harmony that carries over into our lives and our world.

V. When we show love to ourselves others and all living things we begin to experience a sense of unity with the universe. We all come from one source. Some call this source God while others call it Goddess, Universal Life etc. By not showing kindness to others, we are not loving and respecting ourselves. Once we accept all aspects of ourselves, then and only then can we accept others. We are reflections of the higher power, the universal consciousness. Treat others as you want to be treated, for we are all One.

What is Reiki?

To understand what Reiki is we first need to take a look at the name itself. First let’s break the word down into two syllables. “Rei” and “Ki.” Pronounced “Ray-Key”. Now let’s look at the meaning of these two words, they are as follows:

Rei – In its simplest definition means “Universal”
KI – Life force or Energy

Combining these two we can begin to understand Reiki as the Universal Life force. So what is the Universal Life Force? Well, it is different for each individual who practices Reiki. For a Christian this life force may be God or Jesus, for the Pagan or Wiccan it may be the Goddess or any other deity that is related to the specific individual’s path. Regardless of faith or religion the individual practitioner channels this power, this life force into themselves and then in turn transfers it to the recipient. You may be asking yourself, “Why would we transfer that energy to someone else?” Well let’s take an expanded look at Reiki and we will be able to see why we would want to transfer this energy to others.

The Universal Life Force, Reiki, is the sustaining life force of everything that exists. It sustains and renews the planet and all its inhabitants. It is the energy that flows through us, keeps us alive, keeps us in motion. Many look at this energy that flows through us as being our soul. It is the constant flow of biochemical electricity in your body. We as individuals and all other matter are composed of this energy. Without it we and everything around us would cease to exist.

When using Reiki are in fact practicing an ancient form of attunement or initiation where we transfer this energy in the body to open up the bodies energy channels. These channels are called “chakras” or power centers. When these chakras become blocked the natural flow of energy decreases and can cause many things to breakdown within the body, mind and spirit. These breakdowns or blockages can cause disease to set in, depression, unenlightened and unhappiness in general. When using Reiki and the attunement process what we begin to do is open these power centers, the chakras, allowing the energy to flow more naturally. As the energy begins to flow it breaks down the barriers that have been built and the flow increases. Your body is always using energy, there is always a constant ebb and flow and we must have good energy to keep the body, mind and spirit functioning at its peak.

In daily life we are surrounded by negativity. Whether it is from the people we associate with, a job that we are unhappy at or sick. These things can throw your system off balance and result in a disruption of your energy field. A Reiki practitioner can and will channel Reiki through the palms of their hands and transfer it to the recipient either by lying on of hands or by hovering their hands over the recipient’s body.

As this is being done, Reiki starts to open the seven major chakras one by one. As they open, our energy starts to flow more freely. Think about it in this scenario. Picture a river, flowing smoothly without interruption. Then picture a dam being built and obstructing the natural flow of the water. Some water may trickle through, but basically the majority of the water is blocked. Now break down the dam, the water rushes through and the flow starts to return to normal. Get the picture?

Reiki is beautiful and an amazing experience both for the practitioner and the client. As the practitioner works on channeling Reiki to the client, the practitioner is also being worked on by the Reiki as it flows through them to the client. Both parties are in fact receiving healing that comes from the Universal Life force.

Reiki naturally flows into the body through the souls of the feel and at the top of the head and travels to the seven chakras in the center of the body. Each of our chakras spin in a different direction and at a different rate based upon its attributes. For example, the root chakra spins at the lowest rate as it is associated with the physical, the survival instinct. The crown chakra however spins the fastest as it is the spiritual center that connects us with the source/creator/The All. We will learn more about the chakras later along with more about their associations, mediations exercises etc.


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